Improvement in steam-whistles



N. PETERS. PHOTO-L TNOGRAPHE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-WHISTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. L18,921, dated July 25, 1865.

To all whom fit may concern Beit known that I, ABRAHAM FITTS, of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Signal-Gong; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled inthe art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of' the same, taken in the plane indicated by the line .'r, Fig. 1.

' Similardetters ot' rel'erence indicate like part- This invention relates to a whistle operated by steam cr hot air and composed of two bells, with an intermediate chamber having an annular steam or air passage opposite the edge of each ot' the bells in such a manner that by admitting steam or compressed air to said chamber both bells are sounded simultaneously and a sound of increased intensity is produced. In order to increase the intensity of the sound still further and render the whistle particularly t for a signal-gong, the two bells are so tuned as to produce musicalchords.

A represents a pipe which leads from a reserVoir containing steam or compressed air to the chamber B. This chamber is situated be tween two bells, C C', the bell C being supported by a central stem, a, which rises from the chamber B, whereas the bell C is secured to the pipe A. The chamber B is provided with two annular passages, b b', one opposite to each of the bells, so that the steam or compressed air issuing from said passages strikes simultaneously the edges of both bells and a loud and veryintense sound is produced. The two bells are so tuned that they produce musical chords, either thirds or fifths, it being a well-known fact among experts in musical matters that the intensity of a tone when the same is coupled with its third, and more particularly with its fifth, is considerably increased.

My experience shows that one of my gongs, when operated by steam of from fty (50) to sixty (60) pounds pressure, produces a sound which can be heard for twenty (20) miles and more, whereas a whistle ofthe same size with only one bell, and operatedby steam of the same pressure, can hardly be heard one-fourth of that distance. On account of this great increase in the intensity of the tone a whistle constructed according to my invention is peculiarly tit for a signal-gong, and such gong will be used with great advantage as fog-signals or for similar purposes. g.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of two bells with an intermediate chamber having an annular passage opposite the edge of each of the bells, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Combining in a whistle operated by steam or compressed air two bells tuned so as to produce musical chords, substantially as herein described, for the purpose of increasing the iutensity of the sound.

ABRAHAM FITTS.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. L. TOPLIFE. 

